Former longtime Rutland Regional Medical Center CEO Tom Huebner died Wednesday at Massachusetts General Hospital. He had been battling cancer and was 71.
Huebner joined Rutland Regional Medical Center in 1990 as vice president of corporate services after having spent 15 years working in health care in the Boston area.
He became Rutland Regional鈥檚 president and CEO in 1997 and served in that role until his retirement in 2018.
During his tenure, he oversaw upgrades to the hospital's emergency department, expanded treatment for psychiatric patients and opened the West Ridge Center, the region鈥檚 first treatment center for opioid addiction.
Huebner also began efforts to build a $23 million expansion to the hospital to house its orthopedic and physiatry departments as well as ear, nose and throat specialists. The structure, which was completed after Huebner鈥檚 retirement, was named in his honor.
Judi Fox, Rutland Regional Medical Center鈥檚 current president and CEO, said Huebner had been a mentor to her.
鈥淗e was so genuine and he had a deep respect for those he worked with," Fox said. "He was able to give feedback in a way that honestly felt like a gift and he helped promote and advance those that he worked with 鈥� myself included.鈥�
Fox said she felt "profound sadness" when she heard about Huebner's death.
Joe Kraus served on the Rutland Regional Medical Center Board of Directors for nine years, including two as its chair. 鈥淭here were several reasons in the community,鈥� Kraus said. 鈥淥ne, he would never tell you this, but he was usually the smartest guy in the room when it came to health care.鈥�
鈥淎nd two, he was able to see things quickly and come up with and communicate with people in a very clear, uncomplicated way. And people trusted him like I've never seen an executive trusted before,鈥� Kraus added.
Huebner鈥檚 leadership and impact extended far beyond the hospital, according to Kraus.
鈥淗e was active in all sorts of community affairs, and on numerous boards both during his time as CEO and after," said Kraus. "In my opinion, he was the most accomplished health care executive in the state of Vermont."
Even after Huebner was diagnosed with cancer and lost the ability to speak, Kraus says it didn鈥檛 slow him down and Huebner remained active on a number of community boards.
鈥淚 will miss him terribly," Kraus said. "But even though we mourn his passing, I celebrate the fact that we got to have Tom Huebner living in our community and leading our hospital and other institutions for as long as we did."
